Communicating in a network such as the Internet
has the -seemingly- inherent characteristic that anyone observing the network (e.g., a service provider)
will get to know the metadata for each connection (including the source and destination, length and size
of conversation or data transfer etc.). This information is a resource that can be exploited and its misuse
may have serious implications for the privacy of European citizens especially given the global nature of the Internet.
PANORAMIX will develop a European infrastructure for secure communications based on
mix-nets which are cryptographic overlays for network communication with the capability to
eliminate meta-data information. Furthermore, even though they are a privacy-enhancing technology, mix-nets
can also have suitable accountability features by design. PANORAMIX comes as a response to the need for privacy
in a highly connected world where personal information becomes increasingly
an item of high valuation and exchange between companies and governments and aims at empowering
European citizens in terms of managing their privacy.
